King's Road

Max Decharne

The King's Road in Chelsea was the epicentre of two major cultural shifts. It remained continuously at the forefront of developing trends from the sixties and throughout the following decade until it was the key breeding-ground for punk rock. In short it was the place to be. As a laboratory and showcase for the emerging youth-orientated scene it became the favoured habitat of several generations of pop-culture prime movers. In its day the street had also been a regular haunt for the likes of Paul McCartney and Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd.

Like Paris in the twenties or Hollywood in the thirties during the time between the formation of the Rolling Stones and the demise of the Sex Pistols the King's Road had the attention of the world. Just how this came to be is a classic rise-and-fall story of satisfaction and sedition.